Natural Godhood
by AkumaKami64
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki died at the Valley of the End. Supposedly, at least. Without a body, many are very skeptical of that. Now a masked man named Rotan enters stage left and stirs everyone's pots. Non-vengeful Naruto, God-like in sense of Limitless Potential but not invincible, no bashing, works independently but does help Leaf and others, maybe harem, and Xover characters in minor roles


Natural Godhood

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Summary: Naruto Uzumaki died at the Valley of the End. Supposedly, at least. Without a body, many are very skeptical of that. Now a masked man named Rotan enters stage left and stirs everyone's pots. Non-vengeful Naruto, God-like in sense of Limitless Potential but not invincible, no bashing, works independently but does help Leaf and others, maybe harem, and Xover characters in minor roles

Regular Speak

 _Thoughts and Flashbacks_

 **Demonic or Animalistic Speak**

 _ **Demonic or Animalistic Thoughts**_

Across the Elemental Countries, various individuals were the first to get two pieces of news; Two pieces that went hand in hand.

One: Sasuke Uchiha had successfully defected from Konoha to a village in the north called Oto, or Sound. Most if not all individuals to first learn of this knew that Oto was run by Orochimaru.

Especially since Orochimaru himself was one of said individuals.

Two: Naruto Uzumaki had died at the hands of Sasuke Uchiha.

The reaction to this was varied.

 **Sound Village:**

"Bullshit."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow not just at the bluntness of the tone, but the conviction and certainty in it, "I can assure you, Sasuke-kun, the Uzumaki boy is indeed dead. My spies in Konoha sent word that he died from injuries obtained during your battle," He explained silkily.

"Either your spies are mistaken, or Konoha is," Sasuke stated evenly.

"And what makes you so sure? You did quite a number on him in your battle, leaving him on the Shinigami's door step," Orochimaru reminded with a frown. He had originally brought the boy here to see if the news would awaken the next stage of the Sharingan.

"Besides the fact that I haven't awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, I can tell you with absolute certainty that Naruto Uzumaki was alive when I left him there. If he didn't die the first time I stabbed a Chidori through his chest, I find it hard to believe he gave up after healing the wound from the second one," Sasuke answered with a scowl, "If he's dead, I had nothing to do with it. If he's not, I don't know what's going on. Either way, I'll believe he's left the world of the living when I see the cold body," Sasuke added on, turning to leave, "If you'll excuse me, I have some more training to do..."

 _'Hmm, Sasuke-kun makes a good point. While the brat wasn't at that high a level on his own, killing a Jinchuriki is rarely a simple or easy task, much less one of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Not to mention I'd be skeptical myself if I heard Jiraiya had been killed,'_ The Snake Sannin mused in his head, as he himself always kept an ear out on if his teammates had managed to bite the proverbial bullet, _'Wait, Jiraiya...could he have faked the boy's death to stay under the radar of the Akatsuki? After all, the state Sasuke reported him in, it would be simple to fake his death- especially with Tsunade as the Hokage,'_ He theorized, _'I'll have to keep an eye out on my old teammates, see how they're...grieving...'_

 **Konoha:**

The looks on their faces were heart wrenching. The look on his face probably wasn't much better, even if his face mask and headband hid most of it. Before him were Sakura, the two other graduating teams of Naruto's year, Team Guy, and Iruka Umino. All of them gathered at the Ichiraku Ramen Stand, with the owner and his daughter listening intently in the 'officially closed' restaurant.

It was official: Naruto Uzumaki was listed as KIA.

"You can't be serious...," Shikamaru said, his eyes numb for a moment, "You don't even have a body..."

"There might not be a body," Shino said pragmatically, if hesitantly as he saw his female teammate bow her head in silence, "The report of the battlefield is...telling, along with the vast amount of chakra reported."

"But wouldn't that mean Sasuke is likely to be dead as well?" Ino pointed out hesitantly.

"Is that all you care about?" Kiba snapped, glaring at the blonde.

"No!" Ino said firmly, glaring back at the Inuzuka for the accusation, "If Sasuke did kill Naruto then...then he's crossed a line I can't forgive. That none of us can! But if all that's true, isn't it possible they both died when their jutsu clashed?" She pointed out.

"You raise a point, Ino," Kakashi acknowledged solemnly, "When I arrived, I had Pakkun-my summon dog- search for scents. While the rain stopped us from pursuing, we did catch Sasuke's leaving the area, but...we never found a trace of Naruto," Kakashi said in resignation, "If there was a body, a living one even, it either washed downstream or sunk to the bottom. But it's been too long now..."

"Kakashi...," Guy said, putting a hand on the cyclops's shoulder in a show of friendship and support.

"That fool...," Neji said with gritted teeth.

"Neji," Tenten scolded under her breath.

"It's okay Tenten," Sakura spoke up, everyone looking at her in surprise, concern, or interest. She gave them all a small, sad smile. A broken one, with eyes so dead it was almost painful to look at, "Naruto...he was a fool. But he was the best of fools. The kind that never wavered, that never bent to reality and always pressed on. Yes, he was the biggest fool in Konoha...but I'm a close second. He for believing he could save Sasuke...and me for making him promise such in the first place," She narrated softly, "A fool that could overcome anything, if he tried...but he couldn't bring himself to kill a teammate."

"Sakura...," Ino breathed, looking at her friend with pity, not sure what to even say.

"Hinata!" Kurenai yelled as the girl ran out of the store.

"Let her go, Kurenai," Asuma advised, a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Kurenai-Sensei. It seems hurting people is becoming a nasty habit of mine," Sakura said with the same hollow smile.

The red eyed Jonin sighed, "It's fine, Sakura. It would have happened sooner or later and we all have our ways of grieving," She acknowledged sympathetically.

"So...what now?" Choji asked unsurely.

"We honor his memory and protect Konoha in his stead," Kakashi answered bluntly.

"Naruto had no family..." Shikamaru mused.

"Or a last will," Iruka spoke up for the first time, have been staring at the ground, "It's...something he mentioned he never figured out how to do. I doubt he wanted to. Probably thought it'd be like doubting himself..."

"Kakashi-Sensei, Iruka-Sensei?" Ino spoke up, getting their attention, "I...don't want to sound presumptuous or anything, but..."

"It's okay, Ino, say what you need to," Kakashi assured with a nod.

"It's just...I remember hearing Naruto talk about some plants he took care of. If he is...was still doing it, would it be okay of me to take care of them?" She asked unsurely.

Kakashi was definitely smiling behind his mask, "You'll have to talk to the Godaime about that, but I'm sure she'll allow it."

"And Naruto would be thankful, I'm sure," Iruka added in with a half-hearted smile.

"Hey, old man?" Kiba called to the ramen shop owner, "Cook me up whatever Naruto's favorite or special ramen was, would ya?" He requested as he took a seat.

Teuchi and Ayame blinked before sharing a look and nodding, "One Uzumaki Surprise, coming up."

"Order some for the rest of us," Shikamaru said offhandedly as all the remaining Genin and Jonin took seats, except for three.

"Lee, I know it hurts, to see such a youthful comrade fall...," Guy said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"My rival is dead, Guy-Sensei. Naruto and I never even had a proper contest," Lee said dejectedly, his eyes brimming with tears, "I never even thanked him...he went with Lord Jiraiya to retrieve Lady Tsunade solely on the assumption it was to heal my injuries..."

"I know, my student. I do not pretend to completely understand the depths of your pain, but I know that Naruto's Flames of Youth have not died out," Guy said with a smile at his confused student, "When someone like Naruto Uzumaki falls, fighting for what he believes in, his flames are passed on. To the comrades and friends whose lives he touched, to the village he loved and protected, and -I believe-to the very Will of Fire itself," Might Guy said firmly, "So if you must cry my student, do so knowing that through that pain, you carry a piece of him with you. We all do."

"Y-yes, Guy-Sensei! Chef-san! Please, give me as many bowls as Naruto himself would order!" Lee requested as he joined his comrades at the table.

"Well said," Kakashi admitted sadly.

"What about you, Kakashi?" Guy asked with a concerned frown.

"Next time, Guy. I have someone to see," Kakashi said simply.

"You mean...?" Guy asked knowingly.

"No, not exactly. Same place, but I think I'll have company this time," Kakashi answered with a sad smile, disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

He then stood before the Memorial Stone, under the night sky. Kneeling before it, tracing a blank space on it, was Hinata Hyuuga. They shared a look, getting the feeling they'd be see more of each other.

Neither of them noticed a Toad Sannin looking down at time from a distant tree branch. Or maybe they did and didn't care. He knew he didn't.

Jiraiya had worked tirelessly to find Naruto, dead or alive, but in the end he had gotten nothing. He had checked every inch of that river and looked in every village near it…nothing. Orochimaru's activity seemed less active than normal, so the Toad Sage took that to say that Sasuke got there fine. If there was one thing the sensei of the Yondiame wanted to do, it was to march straight into Oto, find the Uchiha, and make the young traitor tell him every last detail of what happened in that valley. Unfortunately, his information on Oto wasn't good enough to attempt it without doubts of it working- meaning he'd probably spook Orochimaru into going deeper into hiding.

Worst case scenario? The Akatsuki had taken him and they had no way to find him. Best case? He got washed WAY too far down stream and gotten lost- or had amnesia, which meant he had no idea where home even was. Still, his spy network would have likely picked up on him if that were the case.

Speaking of the Akatsuki, Jiraiya wondered how they'd react to the news- assuming they weren't behind his disappearance.

 **Unknown:**

"What?! The Kyuubi brat bit the dust?!" Kisame yelled in disappointment and maybe a bit of frustration.

"Calm down, Kisame," Pain ordered, never taking his eyes off Zetsu, "Are you sure of this, Zetsu?"

" **Yes** _ **,**_ _I saw his body float down stream,_ **but had no time to recover it without being spotted.** _By the time I worked around them,_ **the corpse seemed to be long gone,"** Zetsu answered, his two halves taking turns speaking.

"Hmm, this is troubling. The Kyuubi might be lost to us. And even if it is not, we can't be sure where it will reappear exactly if the host floated down river before truly dieing," Pain mused.

"The Kyuubi would be formidable even if we knew the location. It could require a full assault from all of us, even if we resealed it," Itachi warned.

"Sound like quite the art show," Deidara joked idly.

"Defeating that monster may be beyond our reach," Kakuzu cautioned, remembering the tales of the tailed beasts during the early years of the Shinobi villages, only shortly after Hashirama sealed them all. He was personally glad to have not encountered them during their days of freedom, "If we're not careful, not even our corpses could collect a reward."

"The plan will continue for now," Pain spoke up firmly, "The Kyuubi may still reform if given time. Regardless of that, the other tailed beasts might be sufficient for our plans to proceed if we can't obtain it. For now, we shall wait," He ordered, dismissing all of them as their images slowly faded away...

"What do you think of this?" Pain asked to 'Tobi' as he faded in from the shadows.

"I think it's a wrench in our plans. However, as luck would have it, I know of a few things we can use to substitute that particular Bijuu if need be," Tobi assured.

"Substitutes for a Bijuu?" Konan asked skeptically.

"More like other beings with its chakra we can use if needed- the Kyuubi has an interesting history, after all," He elaborated, "However, I'd prefer to use the genuine article unless we have no other choice."

"Agreed," Pain admitted, understanding the reasoning, "Still, how likely is it that the Kyuubi will reform at all?" He asked curiously.

"No idea," Tobi admitted honestly to their surprise, "The seal the Yondiame used has never been used on a Bijuu before. It may channel the Death God, but even that may not be enough to hold something that powerful," Tobi explained grimly.

"In other words, we play the 'wait and see' game," Konan summarized, getting a nod.

"I'll have Zetsu comb the river for the body. If we find the corpse, we'll have a better idea of how to proceed," Tobi explained as they turned to the silent, plant-like member of the group, who looked lost in thought, "Zetsu?" Tobi called with a scowl behind his mask.

 _ **"Hmm?"**_ Both sides said as they looked up, blinking, " _Sorry._ **Lord Madara.** _We were just._ **Thinking about how.** _The Jinchuriki almost won,_ " They explained with White being playfully sheepish and Black being grimly interested, **"** _Had he not shown mercy._ **Itachi's brother would be.** _The one dead._ _**And without a head!"**_

The three seemed to buy this, even if Tobi found it a bit odd of the spy specialist...

 **Six Months Later**

There was a lonesome little bar on the edge of Fire Country, just on the boarder of Grass Country; A small respite on the path between the two countries, for weary travelers to rest their bodies and spirits for a few hours.

And a likely target for small time gangs to try to make a profit by extorting the owner and ambushing tired and freshly intoxicated travelers. It was a common occurrence, like an infestation that kept popping back up. Rock Country probably even encouraged it in some way, deciding to spite Fire country as pettily and often as possible.

The owner was a simple man exiting his prime years, with neither the youth nor the skill to defend his livelihood and his stand just wouldn't cut it in anywhere else nearby. Besides, the latest group of thugs would just try to hunt him down while traveling, since he knew most of their names and faces. He was very much a prisoner in his own occupation, even if he didn't feel like it too much. Mainly because they were smart enough to give him a portion of their loot to keep his business going.

He sighed to himself as he saw another traveler come in. They hadn't had many in a while and this young man looked to have a decent income by his clothing, even if he looked a bit nondescript.

"The strongest of whatever you have," He requested with a grin, the signs of a youth that has seen only the better side of life.

"You'll need it, given this path," The barmen said tiredly as he poured the man a shot, "So, from Grass or Fire?" He asked idly, making it a habit to know something about the people that died after having a time in his place. Even if he didn't remember faces, and he certainly wouldn't remember this one. He could hardly remember it when he wasn't looking at it.

"Fire, originally, but I've traveling all over the place a lot lately," The traveler answered with a chuckle, "Even so, I love finding little places like this: Little nestled away places to stop at while on the go. Does give you something some to look forward to in between stops. Bet it must be nice, meeting all the people coming through," He mused, gulping down the drink.

On the outside, the barman smiled a bit. On the inside, he was crying his eyes out, "Yeah...yeah, it is nice," He agreed, missing times when he could look forward to customers potentially returning every few weeks with new stories.

He was shocked out of his musing as the stranger placed a large wad of ryo bills on the counter, "Here you go, keep the change. Sorry to be off, but I do have some business to deal with," He said with a smile, getting up to leave.

The barkeeper blinked, still processing the money before calling to the man, "Sir, wait, this really is too much for one drink!" He claimed, coming out from behind the bar.

The man just smiled at him, "Oh, that's not for the drink. That's for the mess outside," He assured cheekily before stepping out the door.

The bar owner stared in confusion before following after curiously, "Mess...?" He repeated as he stepped out of his establishment...

His body went completely numb as he took in the scene. All around his shop were the dead bodies of the eight gang members. Some of them hadn't had time to draw their swords, their necks snapped or hearts stabbed. Others were impaled on each other's swords. One had died tripping over a bench, sword impaled through him and lodged into the seat. Another had clearly tried to run away, a kunai in his head. It was, indeed, quite a mess

And in the middle of it, the traveler stood with his back to the barkeeper.

Yet, still, after all this, he could not remember that man's face.

The stranger turned, slowly, his nondescript image fading away to reveal a very different being.

He was wearing a camouflage cloak and hoodie, which opened in the front to reveal a black, long sleeved samue, along with shielded gloves. His pants were a simple navy blue with feet clad in black boots. But the most distinctive thing was the white mask with black diagonal lines embedded in it, forming outward curved diamonds all over it. There were no eyes and there was no mouth, just a faceless mask looking right at him.

"Who...who are you?" The bartender asked in shock.

The stranger slowly raised his hand, making the man tense...only for the masked man to hold up two fingers in a V shape, "Just tell them Rotan Mukuzai was here," He answered in that same youthful voice, "I hope to see you when I come back through, Mr. Urahara," He said, vanishing in a flicker of speed, leaving a confused but relieved barman behind.

"Well...at least I never have to worry about needing a drink in this profession," Urahara said with a sigh as he headed inside, not sure what to do about the dead corpses yet.

 **End of Chapter**

Well, there we are. By gods...I've had this idea for ages, but I only now worked up to it. Glad I waited though, it is infinitely better than its original version. No, yes, this Nruto is still very much the canon Naruto, but more powerful and skilled than he lets on.

No, there is no great scheme of vengence on Naruto's part against Konoha or anyone else. His reasons for leaving will be revealed at a later date, probably when someone figures out who Rotan Mukuzai is.

But, yes, I decided to play this all straight with Sasuke not believing Naruto is dead and our favorite Konoha teams are grieving. Sakura is very, very disillusioned aboutSasuke because of this and Hinata might be turning into the new Kakashi.

Also, yes, Naruto has essentially limitless potential here, note that wording, which will be elaborated on in future fights. The answer to how he does this stuff is the obvious and simple one.

Pairing is very much undecided, but don't expect a lot of romance. Hope you all enjoyed this, and until next time.

PS This chapter had a note in it of where I got the original spark for this, but I think the forum in question is long gone.

(Story contain ideas from the "Idea's for godlike Naruto stories" forum, mostly "matrice" and "TheDon1023")

Personally, I don't even rememeber too well what the ideas there were, but I figured I'd mention that as a call back to what started this.


End file.
